A man who was walking on I-85 southbound in Gwinnett County when he was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer was identified by police late Friday night as a 26-year-old Charlotte man.
Calvin Wilson Jr. was struck near Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road around 3 a.m. Friday, Gwinnett police said.
Investigators neither believe that speed was a factor in the accident, nor that the tractor-trailer driver was under the influence of alcohol, said police Cpl. Jennifer Roberts. Charges were not expected against the driver, she said.
Police have not determined if the pedestrian was under the influence when he was hit.
Police earlier Friday put out word that they were having trouble identifying the victim. He was not wearing a jacket and had very little in his pockets, but his body had three large tattoos that investigators believed could help identify him.
On the inside of his left ankle, the man had a colorful Grateful Dead tattoo, and on his right forearm, a large, all-black tattoo, according to images released by police. A third tattoo was on the right side of the man's abdomen, police said.
It was pictures of those tattoos that helped family members identify Wilson, WBTV Channel 3 in Charlotte reported. Wilson's parents told the TV news station they saw the images of the tattoos online and knew instantly their son was dead.
Wilson's father, who is also named Calvin, said his son attended the Graduate School of Integrative Medicine in Austin, Texas, and was driving to Charlotte for Thanksgiving when he stopped answering calls from his family, according to the report.
Calvin Wilson Sr. told Channel 3 his son was low on gas and had stopped in Gwinnett County, where the elder Wilson planned to have AAA meet him.
"He never called back," Calvin Wilson Sr. said. "We never got a call back. AAA didn't get a call. I didn't get a call. So I don't know what happened."
The investigation into the wreck continues.
About the Author
